Lime protection measures are not mandatory by law, but they make perfect sense. Even with a water hardness of just 7 °dH and an average water consumption of 200 m³ per year (equivalent to a four-person household), around 25 kg of lime are moved through the water pipes. At 22 °dH, it is already around 75 kg. Particularly important: Make sure that the selected lime protection measure does not impair the quality of drinking water. In the following, we would like to explain about efficient lime protection and give an insight into the possibilities of this.
The term lime protection means the reduction of calcium deposits (stone formation) on surfaces in contact with water, such as heating coils, valves or pipe walls. The special thing about lime protection is that the composition of drinking water is not changed. In contrast to water softening using a water softener The minerals calcium and magnesium (main components of lime) are neither removed from drinking water nor replaced by sodium.
One Lime protection system forms so-called seed crystals, which serve as an accumulation point for lime in water. The microscopic calcium crystals formed in this way are invisible to the human eye. Instead of accumulating on surfaces in contact with water, they float freely in the water and are washed out every time water is removed. The advantage: The crystals formed consist of the hardeners calcium and magnesium. These minerals are still available to the human body in tap or drinking water. As a result, the topic of lime protection is of interest to all those who want to reduce calcium deposits in the household but want to keep the drinking water quality as it is fed in by their local water supplier.
In short:
There are several features that anyone can use to find out whether the topic of lime protection is beneficial for their own household. In principle, it is worthwhile to find out the water hardness of local tap water. Starting at one total water hardness of 14 °dH or more, i.e. if your own house water contains a lot of lime and is therefore in the “hard” range, lime protection measures are recommended. You can easily view the local water hardness on the website of your water supply company or your city or municipality.
Another clue as to whether lime protection is worthwhile for your own household is the frequency with which kitchen or household appliances must be decalcified. Kettles, coffee makers or washing machines in particular suffer from high water hardness and can therefore age prematurely. The situation is similar with strainers or aerators on faucets or surfaces, such as fittings or pipes. If you have to descale or clean such devices or areas frequently, this may be an indication of a high lime content in tap water. For many consumers, the resulting convenience is particularly high when surfaces, coffee machines, etc. need to be decalcified less.
In the long term, this will also affect technical building installations such as pipes, hot water generation systems (e.g. boilers) or valves from calcium deposits. The advantage of a lime protection system is that such systems effectively reduce calcium deposits in the drinking water installation and thus at the same time contribute to maintaining the value of these components in contact with water in house.
High-quality water treatment has just as positive effects on personal comfort as on maintaining the value of the property. A lime protection system increases the lifespan of installations and devices. Another advantage is the positive contribution to hygiene in drinking water installations, as bacteria and biofilm can build up on calcium deposits. This is how you can see that lime protection is also important in your home:
As already mentioned at the beginning, the lime content in the water remains almost unchanged during lime protection. A reduction in water hardness (softening) is therefore barely measurable. In the case of so-called water softening using ion exchange On the other hand, a large part of the water hardness is replaced by sodium on a salt-based basis. As a result, the water hardness is reduced. But which is more effective? Lime protection or water softening?
When water softening or water decalcification using salt-based ion exchange, a so-called residual water hardness usually remains in tap water. This may be necessary, for example, so that, on the one hand, the drinking water ordinance limit for sodium is not exceeded. On the other hand, there is usually no softening to 0 °dH. This prevents the water from becoming excessively corrosive to some materials used in the domestic drinking water installation in the long term. Salt-based ion exchangers therefore do not provide completely “lime-free” water.
Similar to lime protection, calcium deposits can still occur when using a descaling system without cleaning the surfaces.
It is therefore difficult to answer whether lime protection or water softening is more effective for reducing calcium deposits. None of the methods mean that cleaning chalk stains on surfaces in the bathroom or in the kitchen is completely spared. What can be said, however, is that both lime protection and water softening definitely make life with lime in the home easier!
AQON PURE uses Fluid Dynamics technology for its lime protection effect. Fluid Dynamics lime protection technology is the only process worldwide whose Efficacy in an 18-month study was examined. Once installed at a property's domestic water connection, AQON PURE offers lime protection for up to 10 or 20 years, depending on the device model. During this period, there is no need for maintenance and replacement of consumables. The drinking water quality remains the same as it comes from your water supply company. AQON PURE lime protection therefore causes no follow-up costs and is particularly environmentally friendly.
In summary, we will once again provide an overview of the benefits:
AQON PURE are available in various product sizes and can be installed in just about any house with little effort through our installation service at a fixed price or by an installation company of your choice. Do you have any further questions about the product? We have summarized the benefits and functionality on AQON PURE. We would also be happy to personally advise you on lime protection options in your household.
The content reproduced here relates to lime protection and water softening in residential properties when using drinking water in accordance with the Drinking Water Ordinance. There may be technical processes that require water softening, as the dissolved hardeners could otherwise interfere with the process. This can be the case, for example, when water is required to treat medical devices.
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